Loss For Chiefs No Laughing Matter Prince Albert Scores Early And Often, Ends Spokane Win Streak At Five Games

It was a laugher from the first shift, but Spokane Chiefs coach Mike Babcock wore no hint of a smile in the aftermath of Sunday night’s 6-1 loss to the Prince Albert Raiders.

Raider Russell Hogue scored 12 seconds into the game, the initial surprise blow in a first-period barrage that stunned Spokane goaltender Jarrod Daniel and ended the Chiefs’ win streak at five.

“We were a bad, bad hockey team tonight,” Babcock said after Prince Albert jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first 9:30 and won behind Denis Pederson’s three goals.

Hogue added a pair of goals and P.A. goaltender Craig Hordal - who shares duty with Sandy Allan - rejected 29 of Spokane’s 30 shots.

“They intimidated us with speed and physical play,” Babcock said.

Twenty-four hours after Spokane had smoked Prince George 7-0, the Chiefs were taken apart by the Raiders in a long and chippy Western Hockey League game before 5,229.

Spokane (24-33-1) was undressed by a big and quick opponent that is unbeaten in five straight on the road. Prince Albert won for the 15th time in its last 19 games away from home to maintain its lead in the WHL East Division with a 39-18-2 record.

Chiefs highlights are brief.

Jason Podollan’s scoring streak is at six straight today after he assisted on Joe Cardarelli’s third-period goal. It was Cardarelli’s 21st of the year and third in two nights.

End of highlights.

How quick fortunes change is evident in Daniel.

After shutting out Prince George on Saturday night Daniel had three of P.A.’s first four shots slip by him on a night when the puck must have looked like a sand pebble.

He had one save by the time the third goal came at 7:55.

Four shots, three goals, one save.

Backup goaltender David Lemanowicz went the rest of the way.

Defensive lapses were the foundation for the first two goals, but it clearly wasn’t Daniel’s - or anybody else’s - night.

“There were lots of penalty minutes, but we weren’t involved physically in the game,” Babcock said. “That was all behavioral problems on our part.”

With 1:23 left in the second period of a lost cause, Spokane defenseman Joel Boschman had the appropriate response to mounting frustration.

He punted.

After whiffing a shot in the neutral zone, Boschman kicked at the puck.

Predictably, given the way the night unfolded, he didn’t get all of it.

“There was a lack of try and lack of assertiveness and I haven’t seen that in our team a long time,” Babcock said.

Prince Albert coach Donn Clark was happy with his penalty-killing unit, the second-best in the league. P.A. penalty killers snuffed six of seven Spokane power plays.

“Hogue walked in all alone twice (for the first two goals) and Pederson got one on the power play through traffic,” Clark said, in defense of Spokane’s Daniel. “Those are excellent chances. Give our guys some credit for being ready to go from the start.”

The Raiders came away from last week’s home game with WHL West leader Kamloops with a 4-4 tie, serving notice that they’re playing as well as anybody, including Kamloops, the No. 1-ranked club in junior hockey.

Raiders 6, Chiefs 1

Prince Albert 4 1 1 - 6 Spokane 0 0 1 - 1

First period - 1, Prince Albert, Hogue 16 (Toporowski, McGhan), :12. 2, Prince Albert, Hogue 17 (Toporowski), 2:50; 3, Prince Albert, Pederson 21 (Healey), 7:55 (pp). 4, Prince Albert, Pederson 22 (Willis, Healey), 9:30. Key penalties - Church, PA, 4:25; Sawyer, Spo, 6:07; Johnson, PA, 14:22; Toporowski, PA, 17:48; Sawyer, Spo, 18:36.

Second period - 5, Prince Albert, Johnston 10 (Hndiy), 19:13. Key penalties - Stasiuk, Spo, :32; Church, PA, 6:03; Van Drunnen, PA, 8:58; Leeb, Spo, 14:31.

Third period - 6, Spokane, Cardarelli 21 (Gillam, Podollan), 6:04 (pp). 7, Price Albert, Pederson 23 (Johnston, Zulyniak), 14:20 (pp). Key penalties - Wright, PA, 4:17; Sawyer, Spo, misconduct, 8:04; Podollan, Spo, 13:04; Shawara, PA, 19:17.

Power-play opp.-Prince Albert 2 of 5; Spokane 1 of 7.Saves- Spokane, Daniel 1-x-x-1, Lemanowicz 3-8-19-30. Prince Albert, Hordal 12-5-12-29.A-5, 229.